Lead the Way

On the way to San Francisco a few years back,  my foot was asleep as I lugged my baggage from the claim area in the airport to the shuttle.  Even in my half-conscious state, I was in awe of the Californian landscape that surrounded me.  I mustered all the energy I could to take a few photos, one of which is above.  

Much like the road that paves the way for cars (and shuttles) to travel, "leading lines" in photography lead the eyes toward a point of interest.  They're a very simple technique to implement into a variety of photos, but they're very powerful as well.  Like the rule of thirds discussed in previous post, they add a sense of order and thought to an otherwise busy shot.

In the photo above, for example, the flags and well as the boardwalk, organize the storm of tennis fans heading toward the U.S. Open Tennis Championships of last year.  The leading lines created by these structures make the eye lead from the outer edges of the frame to the inner portion of the photo.  This makes viewers pay attention to the frame of the photo, which is frequently neglected in favor of the more "interesting" subject.  Essentially, it's spreading the love, too.  Furthermore, the addition of the lines adds a sense of depth and perception to your photos that may seem "flat".  

It's easy to get creative with leading lines.  Drawing inspiration from both natural and man-made structures and designs, finding leading lines is simpler than one may think.  Take that sidewalk or row of trees and turn them into a highway for your eyes.  Here are a few more examples...

The leading lines in the photo above are especially emphasized due to the fact that the majority of the photo is rendered black.  The lit paths lead to the subtle silhouettes of a couple walking along the path itself.  The colored vertical lines, in contrast, offer accents to the subject and leading lines that lack in color.

The path in the picture above leads to the subject, who is actually me in this case.  Running to the right, the path's direction and eventual disappearance off the frame implies some future ambiguity.  The dark outlines around the edges of the photo, known as a vignette also adds to the perspective of this piece.  The darkness of the forest left behind contrasts with the wide open field that lays in the background.

Leading lines do more than just direct your eyes from place to place.  They can be used to emphasize a connection between two objects or places, or to tell a story.  While most people know the phrase "a picture is worth a thousand words," many forget how you get those thousand words.  Techniques like leading lines can help you reach that word limit by adding a narrative to your photos and maybe, make them more meaningful to you and your buddies.